A Very Berry Summer

This week we have found several berries along our back fence.  We definitely know that some are blackberries, but we're not quite sure what the blueberry/grape-type things are.  Here are some pictures of the black and red berries in our fence: 

We only picked the black ones.  

They are guarded by some nice foliage.  

They are also quite large, as referenced by the golf ball.  

Since these berry findings, we'd like to make the most of their produce next year by trimming up the plants where they grow and tend to them more.  This house and its yard is full of surprises. 

Lightning Strikes Tree in our Backyard

On June 1, 2010, a thunderstorm came through our city causing several lightning strikes, including one in our backyard (literally).  It split in several places, causing shards of wood to be thrown all over our yard.  

Big piece that broke off.  

Pieces all over our new landscaped area.  

Big piece right by the fence.  

Stuck in the fence.  

The beast itself.  

A piece that was held up in the ground by at least 3 inches. 

Perspective.  

Nice to know that Mother Nature like our house so much she wanted to make a visit.  =)

Setting Down Roots

This weekend Hubby's grandmother came down to help us plant some flowers in our front yard (because she is the green expert in the family).  First, we pulled up all the weeds and runners that had overgrown over the years.  Then, we went to Home Depot and walked all through their nursery and garden section, picking out which flowers we wanted to see. 

We put some red lilies in the rock section in front of the house. 

I love the color on these.  

We also got some deep purple delphiniums, assorted azalea bushes, and a butterfly bush (I'm excited about that one) along with some nandinas that were already here.  

Here's a picture of the whole area after we planted everything:  

And finally, we planted some dog seeds.  Think it will sprout some puppies?  

Home Additions

We're finally starting to make our house feel like a home, after it was formerly a construction site for a few months.  Some of the items that make our home include a dining table and chairs:

The set came from hubby's parents and it's a beautiful white set with a golden wood table top.  Looking into the dining room, it completes our antique white theme with our cabinets.  Our cat Elvis is making a cameo from the south chair.

The other piece of furniture we received was a white coffee table with wicker baskets for our living room.

I love how the white looks with our dark colored floors.  

The white theme makes a full circle from the kitchen to the living room, also.  

And to really complete the white theme:  

OK, he's not a piece of furniture, but he certainly makes it feel like home.  

He's king of the yard, or at least this part of it.

Spring is Here!

So, we apparently have a lot of random plants and flowers that are starting to bloom.  The first time we saw the house was back in the fall, and we didn't realize the greenery that was available to us.  One of the foliage we were blessed with was a pretty rose bush by our mailbox.

Our dog Roscoe wanted to have a smell, too.  He has been loving the new house and yard, by the way.  We've been leaving him outside during the day, and at night he collapses on the couch.  I suppose a day of chasing squirrels and digging holes is hard work.  Anyways, here he is with the same pretty flower.

I put the pretty rose in a wine glass we found displaying our last name.  We don't know the family who makes the wine, but they make a pretty bottle.

You can see the sunlight coming in on the west side of the house where the kitchen was.  Curtains or blinds are definitely in order because trying to make dinner before 5:30 PM is a tanning session.  B-)

Hubby Fixes a Lawnmower

Hubby found a slightly used (but not for awhile) lawnmower.  He bought the parts to fix it and now he got it working!  He truly is a Mr. Fixit.

Turns it on!

It also cuts the grass!

Catching Up

Wow! I can't believe it's been a month since my last post! But between taking some out of town trips (one for vacation, one for work) and being without internet connection at the new house (That's right! We're moved in!), this is the first chance I've had to post.

And oh, how much has happened this last month! First of all, hubby painted the kitchen the pale lemon color we selected:

And our cabinets were installed!  We actually decided to go with the antique white colored cabinets after all.  The cabinet shop doesn't have a showroom, so when we first saw the color in not-so-great lighting we were not very impressed.  But once we got to see them in a good light up next to some floor samples, we warmed up to the color.  We decided it would fit better with the contrasting color theme we were going with.  After we finally decided on cabinet color, we chose our counter top color which is called Labrador.  Hubby asked me if I picked that because I'm a dog lover.  LOL!  But it really was the perfect color with our cabinet and floor choices.  It was the perfect combination of blacks, greens, and creams.  We also decided to go with flat black knobs for our hardware, nothing crazy. 

We found a pretty sweet deal on a sink at a salvage store in Chattanooga, TN.  This lovely 4-hole, 8-inch deep dual sink was a pretty $60!  Compared to $110 at your big chain hardware store, I was quite pleased.  The faucet is a beautiful, high curved stainless steel with hot/cold taps with a side sprayer, with a nice tag of $98. 

We got all of our appliances from a huge sale at Sear's last weekend.  They were advertising 15% off of all appliances with an additional 10% off if you used your Sear's card.  Needless to say, we helped my parents gain some major points on their card while we saved 25% on our appliances.

And finally, the floors.  We also found these floors at the salvage store for less than a dollar a square foot.  We made the decision a while ago to go with laminate floors because of their durability and anti-dog/cat-claw-scratching abilities.  But I wanted to be sure that we got a nice, quality laminate that would be both appealing and enduring.  We found this plank, walnut laminate that had pretty grooves that went with the grains.  It comes with a 30-year warranty and is fairly easy to clean with a dust mop.  I really like the wide planks because it makes the rooms seem so much bigger.  The animals are still getting used to them, though, especially when they try to peel out.

P.S.  My sweet husband and my parents surprised me after I got back from my work trip with the bar stools that I wanted.  X-back, counter height, black stools from Target.  Until we find a new dining set, this is where hubby and I are having meals together (minus the cat).

That's it for now.  Now that we're living here and I have internet access, I'll try to post more frequently.  As long as the cats get out of my lap so I can use the computer.  *meow?*